New to the area

[BigTree2935]

Recently moved to a new state, being this close to hunting season wondered what steps you guys would take to find new hunting spots?

[backstraps]

Glass now
Sit observations sits now or.. you may want to go-ahead and jump in!!
Maybe once season begins, scout with a stand on your back ready to hunt.

No better time to learn what the bucks are doing than right now while they’re doing it

Worse case scenario you mess your chances at a buck now... but intel gathered now could help later in the season and for sure next year

Maybe hit a few different areas because you for sure will be burning areas but mid season or late season you surely could go back

[BigTree2935]

Glass now
Sit observations sits now or.. you may want to go-ahead and jump in!!
Maybe once season begins, scout with a stand on your back ready to hunt.

No better time to learn what the bucks are doing than right now while they’re doing it

Worse case scenario you mess your chances at a buck now... but intel gathered now could help later in the season and for sure next year

Maybe hit a few different areas because you for sure will be burning areas but mid season or late season you surely could go back

Much appreciated, there is a lot of public land close by so I can definitely get in to a few spots and just see what happens. The part I’m struggling with is picking the best spot but I guess it’s just trial and error like any other property

[But dozer]

This might sound dumb but I'll throw it out there.. I have trapped coyotes since I was 12, I'm 30 now and didn't catch my first one until I was in my mid 20's.. I learned just about everything I know about catching coyotes from YouTube. I had set traps for coyotes before I started watching certain channels on YouTube but it took seeking out the people that were having success in areas like mine to really gain an understanding of what I needed to do to thrive. Deer hunting in a totally new environment is not unlike this analogy. There is a wealth of deer hunting knowledge out there in most of the places where whitetails live and if you are able to find someone who is willing to share online or better a person in your area to show you the ropes, this will shorten your learning time drastically. I realize this is probably why you started this post in the first place but I notice people are reluctant to divulge where they are from and for good reason. But the info/content is there if you dig deep enough and are able to put the time in to apply it and begin to find what works for you and what doesn't.
Best of luck,
AJ

[xpauliber]

Maps are gona be your best friend. Search for crop fields or other likely food sources on aerials and then switch over to topo and try to determine likely bedding ridges or bedding areas. Then take a ride around those areas and see what things look like from the road. Glass if you can, maybe do some shining. If there are fields, walk the edges and set some cams on field edges or trails exiting thick areas and try to learn how the deer move.

When it's time to hunt, wherever you decide to hunt, come in from the downwind side and scout your way in until you find the best looking sign and give it a shot. Good luck!

[BigTree2935]

This might sound dumb but I'll throw it out there.. I have trapped coyotes since I was 12, I'm 30 now and didn't catch my first one until I was in my mid 20's.. I learned just about everything I know about catching coyotes from YouTube. I had set traps for coyotes before I started watching certain channels on YouTube but it took seeking out the people that were having success in areas like mine to really gain an understanding of what I needed to do to thrive. Deer hunting in a totally new environment is not unlike this analogy. There is a wealth of deer hunting knowledge out there in most of the places where whitetails live and if you are able to find someone who is willing to share online or better a person in your area to show you the ropes, this will shorten your learning time drastically. I realize this is probably why you started this post in the first place but I notice people are reluctant to divulge where they are from and for good reason. But the info/content is there if you dig deep enough and are able to put the time in to apply it and begin to find what works for you and what doesn't.
Best of luck,
AJ

Not dumb, makes complete sense. I need to poke around more at work with folks and see what they know. Appreciate the response!

[BigTree2935]

Maps are gona be your best friend. Search for crop fields or other likely food sources on aerials and then switch over to topo and try to determine likely bedding ridges or bedding areas. Then take a ride around those areas and see what things look like from the road. Glass if you can, maybe do some shining. If there are fields, walk the edges and set some cams on field edges or trails exiting thick areas and try to learn how the deer move.

When it's time to hunt, wherever you decide to hunt, come in from the downwind side and scout your way in until you find the best looking sign and give it a shot. Good luck!

I was hesitant to hang trail cameras due to theft and not knowing the area. Just going to have to take a chance on it I think. Thanks for the info! I’ll try to get out this weekend

[xpauliber]

Maps are gona be your best friend. Search for crop fields or other likely food sources on aerials and then switch over to topo and try to determine likely bedding ridges or bedding areas. Then take a ride around those areas and see what things look like from the road. Glass if you can, maybe do some shining. If there are fields, walk the edges and set some cams on field edges or trails exiting thick areas and try to learn how the deer move.

When it's time to hunt, wherever you decide to hunt, come in from the downwind side and scout your way in until you find the best looking sign and give it a shot. Good luck!

I was hesitant to hang trail cameras due to theft and not knowing the area. Just going to have to take a chance on it I think. Thanks for the info! I’ll try to get out this weekend

Do you have climbing sticks? I've had excellent luck hanging cams 1 stick high (8-9' high) and not having any problems with theft. The deer tend to ignore them more when they're elevated as well.

[BigTree2935]

Maps are gona be your best friend. Search for crop fields or other likely food sources on aerials and then switch over to topo and try to determine likely bedding ridges or bedding areas. Then take a ride around those areas and see what things look like from the road. Glass if you can, maybe do some shining. If there are fields, walk the edges and set some cams on field edges or trails exiting thick areas and try to learn how the deer move.

When it's time to hunt, wherever you decide to hunt, come in from the downwind side and scout your way in until you find the best looking sign and give it a shot. Good luck!

I was hesitant to hang trail cameras due to theft and not knowing the area. Just going to have to take a chance on it I think. Thanks for the info! I’ll try to get out this weekend

Do you have climbing sticks? I've had excellent luck hanging cams 1 stick high (8-9' high) and not having any problems with theft. The deer tend to ignore them more when they're elevated as well.

I do, I’ve never done that. Going to have to give that a go though

[xpauliber]

Maps are gona be your best friend. Search for crop fields or other likely food sources on aerials and then switch over to topo and try to determine likely bedding ridges or bedding areas. Then take a ride around those areas and see what things look like from the road. Glass if you can, maybe do some shining. If there are fields, walk the edges and set some cams on field edges or trails exiting thick areas and try to learn how the deer move.

When it's time to hunt, wherever you decide to hunt, come in from the downwind side and scout your way in until you find the best looking sign and give it a shot. Good luck!

I was hesitant to hang trail cameras due to theft and not knowing the area. Just going to have to take a chance on it I think. Thanks for the info! I’ll try to get out this weekend

Do you have climbing sticks? I've had excellent luck hanging cams 1 stick high (8-9' high) and not having any problems with theft. The deer tend to ignore them more when they're elevated as well.

I do, I’ve never done that. Going to have to give that a go though

Here's an article for awesome DIY trailcam mounts: https://www.qdma.com/build-diy-trail-camera-mount/ Of course, make sure you can screw things into the trees before you use them but they are awesome and give you flexibility to angle and point the cam exactly where you want it.